World Marathon Majors 2014 Season Kicks Off in Japan

This weekend the Tokyo Marathon enters its second year as part of the majors.

The start of the 2012 Tokyo Marathon, the newest member of the World Marathon Majors.

The Tokyo Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, is boasting a field of seven men who have run faster than 2:06 and six more competitors who have gone under 2:08. Among them is Tadese Tola, an Ethiopian with a PR of 2:04:49.

On the women’s side, eight women have broken 2:24, including Tirfi Tsegaye with a 2:21:19 of Ethiopia. Lucy Kabuu Wangui, a Kenyan who went to high school in Japan, is billed as the favorite with a best time of 2:19:34.

Tad Hayano, race director, answered a few questions about the race.

Running Times: We know why the elite racers are drawn to the competitive Tokyo Marathon since it is now a World Marathon Major event where they can accumulate points. Why should amateur international runners come to the Tokyo Marathon?

Tad Hayano: The culture of Japan and its hospitable people should draw international appeal. It’s one of the biggest Asian marathons—Mumbai being the biggest—and with 1.7 million spectators, runners feel well supported. At $120 for international applicants, it’s a very reasonable entry fee.

RT: Why did Tokyo want to join WMM?

TH: Initially, the city of Tokyo wanted to be considered the best of the best cities in the world and to do that the governor of Tokyo announced interest in hosting a world-class marathon, like the New York City Marathon. From that initial desire grew more interest in becoming a part of the World Marathon Majors.

RT: What is the course like?

TH: It’s a pretty flat course. It’s is downhill for the first 5K and then flat until the 35K mark, where runners encounter a few small hills because of bridges on the course. The course also passes many famous sight-seeing landmarks like Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace, Asakusa Gate (the oldest temple in Tokyo). The average temperature at the end of February when the marathon is held is 45 degrees Fahrenheit, perfect for marathon running.

RT: What’s the breakdown of Japanese runners to international racers and what are their chances of winning an entry?

TH: There are 36,000 entries. Ten percent of that (3,600) is allotted for international racers. Those international applicants have a 66 percent chance of getting in, while the Japanese nationals have only a 10 percent chance. We’ve had up to 355,000 applicants (2011), so our next goal is to be able to allow 40,000 people to run the race. This depends not on the city but the police.

RT: How has Tokyo Marathon changed the running culture of Japan?

TH: Previous to 2007, the Tokyo Marathon had been run about 25 times but held only for the elite. In 2007, Tokyo became the first big city that combined a citizens’ race with an elite field. Prior to Tokyo taking this initiative, the image of the marathon in Japan was just for the elite. The public has realized the potential to run a marathon. Nagano, Kobe and Osaka followed Tokyo’s lead and created similar races that encouraged the public to race.

RT: How did the tsunami of March 2011 have an impact on Japan and, in turn, the Tokyo Marathon?

TH: There has been a movement since the 2011 disaster of renewed respect in Japanese culture and unification in Japan with a focus on the word ‘ichi’ or ‘one.’ In fact, ‘J1’ is a symbol now commonly seen around Japan. I created in 2008 the Tokyo Marathon slogan “The Day We Unite,” but following the 2011 tsunami/earthquake the slogan took on a whole new meaning and motivational power. While the New York City Marathon claims that it is one race with 46,000 different stories, we here at Tokyo Marathon claim that we may be 36,000 different racers but we share one story.

RT: How did Tokyo Marathon contribute to the NYC disaster relief fund?

TH: We have six areas of focus for our charity program, called Tsunagu, or solidarity, for which athletes can raise money. When the storm hit New York in November 2012, we decided to add another focus: Emergency Relief. Tokyo and New York are sister cities that both use marathons to bring people’s hearts together. In three short months we collected $50,000 and surprised Mary Wittenberg, the NYC Marathon race director, at a ceremony held prior to the Tokyo Marathon. I almost cried when I saw the tears in her eyes.